1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to the evaluation of information searches and, more particularly, to a method and system for assigning relative value to the results of such information searches.
2. History of the Related Art
A number of search options are available to help consumers find goods and services. For example, in the travel planning industry, a professional travel agent can help the consumer find available flights, hotel rooms, car rentals, and the like. Typically, the travel agent accesses one or more public or private reservation databases available from travel services providers (e.g., airlines, hotels, car rental agencies) to obtain several possible travel solutions that are presented to the consumer for evaluation. The consumer can also directly search for these services via a travel Web site that specializes in finding such services. In the latter case, the consumer simply provides information such as the origination, destination, and dates of his travel. A search engine associated with the Web site thereafter queries the appropriate databases to obtains several possible travel solutions that are presented to the consumer for evaluation.
The success of such consumer targeted Web sites has given rise to the development of specialty search engines that focus on finding certain types of information. For example, in the travel planning industry, Low Fare Search Engines (LFSE) have been developed that specialize in finding inexpensive fares. These LSFE produce multiple fare solutions by performing iterative searches of fare pricing databases and comparing the results with search results from fare availability databases. A number of constraints such as the application of certain fare validity rules and also data processing limitations combine to produce a subset of the total possible fare solutions. The solutions are then presented to the consumer in order of the lowest fares first.
Specialty search engines and search engines in general, however, can sometimes provide too many solutions for the consumer to thoroughly evaluate in a reasonable amount of time. Thus, some of the search results may initially appear unusable to the consumer based on his personal preferences, but may actually turn out to be very acceptable when properly evaluated, and vice versa. Referring to the travel planning industry again as an example, a travel solution requiring several connecting flights may be rejected at first glance by a traveler who prefers a non-stop trip. However, other aspects of the itinerary such as frequent flyer miles, a low fare, meals, movies, seating, and the like, may cause the traveler to reconsider when properly evaluated. On the other hand, some travel solutions may have aspects that are so out of line with the traveler's preferences that, a non-stop trip notwithstanding, they should not be included at all in order to save time. Therefore, it is desirable to be able to present the results of an information search in such a way that the consumer may quickly evaluate the search results in accordance with his preferences. More particularly, it is desirable to be able to assign a relative value to each one of the search results based on the preferences of the consumer in order to facilitate selection therefrom.
One method of listing the results of an information search is by the number of search criteria for which a match was found. Under this approach, search results in which every search criteria were found are listed ahead of search results in which less than all search criteria were found. The number of criteria found in a given search result is usually indicated using a percentage. For example, if a particular search found four out of five specified criteria, the result would be listed as an 80 percent match.
Another method of listing the results of an information search is by the number of “hits” or matches found for a particular criterion. This method is premised on the assumption that results containing a higher number of hits are more likely to be relevant or desirable. Under this approach, search results containing 10 hits of a particular criterion, for example, are listed ahead of search results containing fewer than 10 hits.
None of the aforementioned methods, however, provide a way to assign a relative value to a search result based on the personal preferences of the consumer.